On Feb. 3, Lady Gaga cast a new single, “Abracadabra,” from her upcoming album, “Mayhem,” blowing away fans on Consequence’s “Song of the Week.” Gaga premiered at the Grammy Awards through her music video, which struck up a sick dance beat with the fantastic choreography she presented. Personally, the artistic expression Gaga usually presents in her music intrigued me with the new distinctive sounds in “Abracadabra.” One of Gaga’s trademarks revolves around her ability to create and blend homophonic styles of music and make it a huge hit.
If we look back at her older music, such as “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance” and “Applause,” we tend to see a pattern of electric, pop and dramatic styles of music. The volume of both backup singers is more present as well. “Abracadabra” may have a fresher, more eclectic, monophonic approach, likely leaning into some of the more experimental aspects of her current musical persona. Her music often evolves high, emotional energy-moving music and performances of legato movements such as in “A Star Is Born” and “Million Reasons.” Looking at Gaga’s timeline, we can see growth and change within her new album as an artist who refuses to be locked in a simple style of rhythm.
As for the music video, the visuals in “Abracadabra” are vivid and symbolic. Gaga seems to be dressed in one scene with a red, pointed hat while being with the rest of the backup dancers in white, which signifies a divide between Gaga and herself. Suppose we pay attention to the lyrics behind “Abracadabra” in the chorus. In that case, Gaga sings: “Abracadabra, amor-oona-na, morta-ooh-ga-ga,” where amor in Latin means love and morta, meaning death. This translates to magical love and death spells. In addition, the music video plays in the dark, emphasizing the focus point on the colors Gaga and the dancers are wearing. The lady in red represents the devil, and the lady in white represents the angelic side. Her music video almost opens up with a metaphorical reference to a fairytale “Sleeping Beauty”, with Maleficent-type fashion patterns. The devil can either be disguised as an external force of someone else, or it can also be internal to oneself: the subconscious, negative mind we sometimes have in our self-persona. Self-reflection in comparing ourselves to others in society is sometimes the devil beating us up and degrading us. Gaga told Elle Magazine how “Abracadabra” has a “spell in it [..] I imagine that our negative backtalk or when people are hard on you in your life, the world is hard on you, that’s almost like a spell.”
In a conversation with Elle Magazine, Gaga revealed that the song is about “facing the challenge of life” and “finding the magic in it all.” She discovered how to weave the unique “fabric” of the world together, which is reflected in the unique fashion fabric she always presents in her music videos. If there’s one other trademark about Gaga, it is her exotic fashion. Her colored wigs, sunglasses and peacock feathers represent her emotional state, adding to the intensity of her expression on the dance floor. As she finds herself “improving herself on the dance floor,” she told Elle that her fashion has become a part of her self-expression. It’s a dance battle she has with herself and the battles the community, also known as her backup dancers, have within themselves. This emphasizes the strength and needs of the community as nobody is perfect; we all have our self-complexities within the influences and temptations of good and evil.
It”s often said that Gaga is “one of the most well-rounded entertainers we have at the moment,” and I couldn’t agree more. Her music shares intriguing emotional appeals to her identity. For instance, the dynamic duo of her appearance and music enhances her storytelling and performance immensely. I feel a sense of euphoria hearing and watching her performances.
Her live performances, Super Bowl halftime shows and movies like “A Star is Born” showcase her multimedia skills, bringing her music to life. Gaga’s individuality helps me feel inspired every day. Whether strolling to class, working out or partying with friends, I feel comfortable and confident within my skin, just like Gaga in her persona.
